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The Hass variety may have been at the forefront of the recent global avocado craze, but one South African exporter has noted there was far higher demand for green-skinned cultivars in the European market this season than previous years. A representative from Limpopo-based ZZ2 said EU retailers had been asking for greater volumes than normal of varieties like Fuerte, Ryan and Pinkerton, which are the more sought-after varieties in the South African market. “This year we were blown away by the demand for green-skinned [avocados] in Europe,” marketing manager Clive Garrett told Fresh Fruit Portal. “Any green-skinned that we’ve got planted have now got the benefit of being exported or being used for the local market.” He believed the increase in demand was both due to a general shortage in the continent and also consumers getting used to the varieties. In addition, with rapidly rising levels of demand in many European countries, Garrett said an increasing number of retailers were prepared to take green-skinned to satisfy consumer appetites. For the 2017 season, he estimated ZZ2 had shipped around 10-15% more green-skinned to Europe year-on-year. He also pointed out countries like Portugal and Italy still preferred green-skinned, and the same could have been said for Germany until only recently when the industry started putting more focus on Hass. The swing to Hass-type varieties partly came about as the fruit generally ripened and traveled better, according to Garrett.